Thursday, September 30, 2010

City University of New York“September 30, 2010 | Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, N.Y.—While Professor Tania León of the Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College is no stranger to participating in concerts throughout the world, the most recent invitation was of particular significance to her.

“León, who last April became the first Latino woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, was officially invited to participate in the second Leo Brouwer Festival of Chamber Music in Havana, Cuba, where some of her compositions will be presented for the first time. The two-week festival, named after Cuba’s best known guitar composer, will honor the memory of Alejandro García Caturla, an early 20th-century composer who introduced elements of popular Cuban music into classical compositions and who passed away 70 years ago.

“Although this is not the first time that León has traveled to her native country since she left Havana in the mid-1960s, it is the first time that she’s been invited as a musician. 'To return as a woman composer and conductor of classical music and CUNY professor strikes a very personal and emotional nerve,' León said in an interview days before heading to Havana. 'I’ll be proud to bring my mother, who is 85, to the concert,' she added, recalling her emotional farewell with her late grandmother, to whom she promised to return as a musician. 'She was always supportive of this most unusual aspiration for a woman.'

“A CUNY Distinguished Professor, León said an ensemble of Cuban musicians will be playing the pieces chosen by the festival, including Alma (Soul), a piece for flute commissioned by Marya Martin of the Manhattan School of Music three years ago; and 1992’s Arenas d’un Tiempo (Sands of Time), inspired by her reflections on a visit to Brasil. Noting that she would like to see more women composers following on her footsteps, she said her students at the conservatory gave her a very emotional farewell. 'Con mucho cariño,' she said (with great warmth). 'It was very rewarding.'” [The website of Tania León is http://www.tanialeon.com/; she is also profiled at AfriClassical.com]Tania LeónBrooklyn CollegeCUNY ProfessorLeo Brouwer FestivalChamber MusicAlma (Soul)

CasaMusicaledeLerma.com was created by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory, who is principal advisor to AfriClassical.com. It hosts the Ben Holt Archive, which is lavishly illustrated with photos, and lists many highlights of his career. AfriClassical has received a press release from Patrick D. McCoy, President of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (NANM), which is being revived in honor of Ben Holt:

“(Washington, D. C.) On July 17, 2010 The National Association of Negro Musicians revived its Washington, D.C. branch in memory of Ben Holt (1955-1990), a world-renowned operatic baritone and D. C. Native. Holt performed with such esteemed companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Virginia Opera, and made his Kennedy Center debut with Young Concert Artists, Inc. He also shared the stage with famed singers including Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman, and Carmen Balthrop.

“Patrick D. McCoy was initially approached by Damon Dandridge, former professor of Cheyney University (PA) about the chapter’s revival. Evelyn Curenton, a noted composer, offered her unwavering support of the project.”

“Founded in Chicago in 1919, the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. is the country’s oldest organization dedicated to the preservation, encouragement and advocacy of all genres of the music of African Americans (http://www.nanm.org). In keeping with the mission of NANM, the Washington, D.C. chapter will host its chartering celebration on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Northwest D.C. at 3 P. M. For more information, please contact Marlissa Hudson, correspondence secretary, at 703-882-1947 or at marlissahudson@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje is Chair and Professor, Department of Ethnomusicology, UCLA. She sends news from Dr. Hansonia Caldwell, a retired Professor of Music at California State University Dominguez Hills, of a concert of the Southeast Symphony of Los Angeles at which music of Handel will be dedicated to the late Dr. Don Lee White:

“The Southeast Symphony is scheduled to open its season on Sunday, October 3rd, at 3 pm, at Trinity Baptist Church.

“The concert will open with the Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings, a wonderful work that will be appropriately dedicated to Don. The rest of the concert will feature the music of Handel, (Royal Fireworks Music and Water Music). Charles Dickerson, the ensemble's conductor, has suggested that the Hallellujah Chorus serve as the culmination of the concert, and has extended an invitation to the singers who loved Don to come, bring your scores, and be ready to celebrate this great man with great music.”

“The New York City Opera and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture have announced a third season of collaboration in 2011, with two programs to celebrate the African-American experience in the world of opera.

“City Opera will showcase the career of the mezzo-soprano Betty Allen with film and sound clips and live musical selections in A Tribute to Betty Allen on Feb. 28. Ms. Allen, who died last year, was African-American and helped break down racial barriers in opera. She made her City Opera debut as Queenie in 'Show Boat' in 1954 and from 1973 to 1975, her roles at City Opera included Mistress Quickly in 'Falstaff,' Jocasta in 'Oedipus Rex,' and Eurycleia in 'Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria.' She sang internationally at major opera companies and concert halls and was executive director and later president of the Harlem School of the Arts.

“On June 6, City Opera will present an abridged concert version of 'Treemonisha,' the groundbreaking opera by the composer Scott Joplin about a young, intelligent black woman who helps educate her superstitious Arkansas community. Written in the early 20th century, the opera was not performed in its entirety until 1972.” “Performances will be held at the Schomburg Center at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, at 135th Street.”

The Scott Joplin (1868-1917) page at AfriClassical.com explains Treemonisha was first staged in January, 1972 in a concert performance. It was staged in Atlanta, Georgia by the Afro-American Music Workshop of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw, conductor.

This afternoon's performance, the 45th, since inception, was a glorious example of why I do this. Not only did we have an extraordinary ensemble of some of the finest classical musicians in the world, performing one of the greatest and my favorite works of chamber music ever created- the Brahms G major sextet, but our hundreds of listeners at the Holy Apostles roared with exuberance and affirmation - There's not a Baptist church anywhere in America that has ever had a bigger 'amen corner' than we had today!

“Today is Wednesday, so our little section of the Holy Apostles Church was shared by a Reiki massage therapist who was there for her weekly contribution to the soup kitchen clients. So our ensemble was pushed closer to a table of guests than usual. That was just perfect, because that table of clients led the entire room with their cheers and excitement. Once again, we all sprang to life even more than usual in response to so many clients that were happy to have us there. In the few minutes before we played, I went around from table to table as I always do at this location to introduce myself and invite them to listen to our performance.

“Today, unlike other times when there appear to be many skeptics to start, the tables were filled with friendly eager faces right from the beginning, with one very familiar Music Kitchen fan among them. At the table closest to us, before we played, a gentleman asked if we were going to play music of the Kronos Quartet. Another very savvy music afficionado at Holy Apostles! As we played the first movement of the Brahms, everyone at our nearest table turned to focus on us. Many listeners from other parts of the room came to stand around for a closer view. And the men lined up for a therapeutic Reiki treatment quickly became focused on the musicians as well. It's fun to watch listeners identify with different musical voices and personalities within the group.

“Before long, I saw many people swaying with the music, some even calling out their exclamations at various cadences. At the end of the first movement, the room erupted in cheers! I got up to tell everyone that they are hearing some of the world’s finest musicians and that there is more to come. A gentleman at our close by table said, 'Its not quite sonata form and I can’t catch the theme...' Again I was impressed, 'Yes you’re absolutely right, Brahms doesn't use a strict sonata form, but rather more of a “developing variation.”' 'Ah Yes!' he exclaimed, 'a developing variation; that sounds like what I heard.' It took me a semester of a music analysis class focused on Brahms chamber music to arrive at that understanding. I wondered what his musical background was and was very pleased to have a listener so in tune with and enthusiastic about the subtleties of the work. But as this exchange occurred only between movements, there was no time for an in depth discussion.

“We went on to the second movement, not slow, but not fast either- another typical Brahmsian character. We had their attention from the beginning and enjoyed illustrating the various pairings of instruments and tonal colors. Still, it is not quite the level of quiet to support a performance of the slow 3rd movement, so we skipped it and went on the last movement. The listeners were just incredibly enthusiastic from the start, such that when we ended the fast flitting of the coda with the robust final chords, the room once again erupted in the kind of applause, whoops and cheers that one might expect if some beloved sports team had scored a major point in the final moments of a game.

“It was a terrific feeling - We all beamed and laughed along with their high energy response! Naturally we couldn’t just walk away, so we quickly sat down to perform the Coda to the end again as a reprise encore, about 1 minute and a half of music repeated. This time our listeners knew what they were listening for, and quickly honed on their favorite musical lines. One man to my right half stood, pointed to the cellists and said, 'Look, look! Look at her go for it!! Go get it!'…or something of the sort. Who ever said a classical music experience is sedate and boring?? Furthermore, it is another example of the fact that classical music, performed at a high level and with passion and character, can appeal to everyone.

“After we finished, we were swarmed by lots of listeners who wanted to chat with us. Yet another of the experienced listeners came over and introduced himself as a composer. He asked that I stay in touch and gave me his email address. However, I love knowing that for the vast majority of the listeners who cheered so loudly, this was the first classical music performance they had ever heard.” “New! Music Kitchen is Now on Twitter. New! Listen to Music Kitchen Listeners talk about the concerts in their own voices: http://www.MusicKitchenNYC.org”

The complete broadcast of the Ensemble du Monde segment can be viewed by following the link, where the text of the orchestra's segment can also be read:

“Ensemble du Monde

Ensemble du Monde, one of the most innovative chamber music orchestras in the classical music scene, celebrates the opening of its new season on October 2nd. 'Night Prayers,' the first concert of the year, features clarinet virtuoso Julian Milkis as soloist and renowned musicologist Solomon Volkov as guest host. The event title is inspired by one of the works on its program, the American premiere of composer Giya Kancheli’s 'Night Prayers for Clarinet, Strings, and Tape.'”

Difference makers refuse to take no for an answer. Difference makers intuitively sense the pressure points, the place where their efforts will make a difference. Once they recognize the pressure points, they move without counting the cost. They are all in, holding nothing back.

“Once such difference maker is Aaron Dworkin. Aaron Dworkin is an African American who was adopted and raised by Jewish parents. At five, he began playing the violin. He studied at the University of Michigan and met the African-American composer William Grant. William Grant changed Aaron’s life. Aaron said, 'No one ever told me this music existed. It would enrich so many people in the minority community. I thought, Why aren’t they hearing it, too? You can’t complain about something, unless you’re doing something about it.'

“He did something about it. He founded the Sphinx Organization in Detroit to introduce young African American and Latino children into classical music. All Aaron started with was an idea and passion to make a difference. Because of his persistence and stubbornness to make a difference, Sphinx has helped nearly 45,000 students in 100 schools and awarded $800,000 in scholarships.”

AfriClassical.com posted a comment on the above article on September 28, 2010:

“Aaron P. Dworkin is indeed a remarkable person with uncommon drive. For approximately 9 years he has been featured as a Musician of African Descent at www.AfriClassical.com, which devotes a page to him. The companion blog, AfriClassical.blogspot.com, posts frequent news of Aaron and the Sphinx Organization he founded. I would like to suggest that it is improbable that he met William Grant Still. The composer was quite ill in his final few years, and when he died in Los Angeles in 1978, Aaron Dworkin was an 8-year-old violin student living in New York City. It is my understanding that Aaron Dworkin learned of the music of William Grant Still in the 1990s, when he studied Violin Performance at the University of Michigan. This correction does not in any way diminish the importance of Aaron P. Dworkin as a model of persistence.”

Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje is Chair and Professor of the Department of Ethnomusicology at UCLA. We have received a Message From The Chair on the activities of the Department. A noteworthy event is the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, November 11-14, 2010. Here are some excerpts which may be of general interest:

“This is a special year because we are celebrating 50 years of ethnomusicology at UCLA.” “Information about the history and significance of the 50th anniversary can be found on the Department web site.”

“Fall quarter 2010 activities are significant because many alumni will participate in the Alumni Symposium and Dinner on November 9, 2010. In addition, UCLA is hosting the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Prior to the meeting, on November 10, a pre-conference symposium organized in honor of Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, the first chair of our department, will also be held at the Wilshire Grand.

“First Tuesday Concerts are back. Here’s everything you need to know: On the first Tuesday of the month, October through May, enjoy free chamber music. Concerts are performed in Uptown Charlotte at First Presbyterian Church, located on 200 West Trade Street. Concerts are at 12:10 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. The evening concert includes a wine and cheese reception in the Carillon Lobby.

“2010-2011 Season

Great Americans-October 5

Program

A celebration of American music, from the epic sound of Aaron Copland to George Gershwin’s intimate Lullaby, from Amy Beach’s Quartet on Inuit themes to the Spiritual and jazz rhythms of the dean of African-American composers, William Grant Still.

"Lyric baritone and Kellogg Community College Vocal Music Instructor, Gerald Blanchard, will perform a lecture recital on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 3 pm in the Davidson Visual and performing Arts Center, on the main campus of KCC. The campus is located at 450 North Avenue in Battle Creek. The program is free and open to the public.

"Blanchard and pianist Nancy Brown will perform a wide variety of spirituals and African American art songs, as well as providing some informative commentary about the evolution of this uniquely American musical genre. The presentation will include such familiar and beloved melodies as “Give Me Jesus,” arranged by the late Moses Hogan, an acapella version of “Lord, How Come me Here” a traditional spiritual, Didn't My Lawd Deliver Daniel, Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, as arranged by H.T. Burleigh.” [Henry Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a complete Works List compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory]

“Every now and then, a dance company comes along that has that certain 'wow' factor that just reels you in from the first movement and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final phrase. The Paris-based company of New York native Stefanie Batten Bland is just that company.

“Bland's movement is fresh. Nothing feels familiar or recycled. Bland and her company of five uniquely strong dancers are firmly grounded in dance technique, but they do not exploit their dance skills for the sake of empty virtuosity. It is employed for the better good of the work -- and in this work, gravity appears to be optional, just another resource to be mastered and incorporated where needed.

“The greater part of the evening was given over to Bland's new work, 'Terra Firma.' The piece features six dancers, seven sail-like fabric panels suspended from the ceiling, and the music of John Adams, incorporating natural sounds of water and wind.

“In Friday's post-performance chat, Bland indicated that she is a visual person who starts with pictures. For 'Terra Firma,' she began with pictures of boat people, immigrants, sailboats. For Bland, it's a dance about hope: 'Perhaps we might get there, wherever that place is.' For some in the audience, it was a heart-rending work about humanity's pain, and suffering in the world.”

Sunday, September 26, 2010

[Versatile and changeable, the Ritz Chamber Players mixes 20 musicians for repertoire ranging from new music by black composers to European romantics. Five from the Jacksonville, Fla., organization perform next Sunday in Birmingham. (Photo Credit: The Birmingham News)]

"Recognizing the need to get more African-Americans involved with classical music, clarinetist Terrance Patterson set out in 2002 to bring together the best black musicians he could find. Patterson himself is an accomplished clarinetist whose career has led him from the Peabody Conservatory to European music capitals such as Paris, London, Belgrade and Moscow, as well as Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York. He returned to his native Jacksonville, Fla., to start the Ritz Chamber Players, in order to accomplish his mission of exposing young and old alike to the merits of classical music -- black composers and performers in particular.

"'We wanted to address the disparity of minorities in classical music, and to bring a new face to the 1.9 percent of African-American musicians that are represented in American orchestras, by being physically on stage and bringing in new audience members,' Patterson said last week from Jacksonville. The few that are in classical music show a united front in that regard. That's why we started the organization. The ensemble took its name from Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, which was built on the site of the 1929 Ritz Theatre, a movie house in Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood, a historically black area once known as the 'Harlem of the South.' The chamber players are patterned roughly after the flexible-personnel model of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the organization has built its roster to 20 performers. It has also hosted a composer-in-residence every year since its inception.

“The names are impressive -- pianists Stewart Goodyear, Leon Bates and Terrence Wilson; violist Amadi Azikiwe; flutist DeMarre McGill; composers Adolphus Hailstork, David Baker and George Walker. Honorary board members include conductors Fabio Mechetti and Michael Morgan. Goodyear, Wilson, Mechetti and Morgan have appeared with the Alabama Symphony. A Hailstork composition has been commissioned by ASO and will be premiered in January. Morgan will conduct. Five musicians from its ranks, including Patterson, will perform in Birmingham next Sunday on a Birmingham Chamber Music Society event.” [Adolphus C. Hailstork (b. 1941) and George Walker (b. 1922) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Numerous music websites are now offering an MP3 recording of Louis Kaufman: A Fiddler's Tale, Recordings from 1942-1952. The violinist is Louis Kaufman. The recording was released in June 2010 by Cambria Master Recordings. William Grant Still (1895-1978), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, is represented by two works, Pastorela, arranged for violin and orchestra (8:58) and Lenox Avenue: The Blues (2:39). The Works List compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma and featured at the website indicates Lenox Avenue: The Blues was commissioned by CBS and premiered on CBS Radio in 1937; Pastorela was premiered by Louis Kaufman at New York's Town Hall in 1947.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Wilmer Wise, a renowned trumpeter in his own right, sends AfriClassical news of a World Premiere performance at Penn State University by Professor of Trumpet Langston J. Fitzgerald, III, of Down a River of Time, composed by pianist Eric Ewazen:

“Penn State's Langston J. Fitzgerald III, right, professor of trumpet, performs on stage in Esber Recital Hall with composer and pianist Eric Ewazen during Fitzgerald's faculty recital on Sunday, Sept. 19. The event was marked by the complete world premiere performance of Ewazen's 'Down a River of Time.' Although not pictured, the recital featured more than two dozen students of the Penn State University Trumpet Ensemble and brass area studios. For information about upcoming School of Music events, visit

We have received a correction from Jessica Machado, wife of Celso Machado. She explains that the piece in the YouTube video is called Baião Barroco and is actually a track from the CD Jogo da Vida, CBC Records 3021 (2007). The CD is shown on the Celso Machado page at AfriClassical.com and is discussed in Paragraph 21.

Here is Jessica Machado's correction:

“Thank you Bill - I'm not sure who posted that song on you-tube.

Here is some info from the CD

Celso's title for this piece is Baião Barroco.

My liner notes for this piece describe it this way

music composed by Celso Machado

Celso Machado: guitar, pandeiro and mouth percussion

David Virelles: piano

recorded on Jogo da Vida, CBC Records (copyright of this specific recording is CBC Records but copyright of the composition itself is Celso and Surucua Art Productions)

copyright Celso Machado and Surucua Art Productions, 2007

Johann Sebastian Bach goes for a holiday to Cuba (David Virelles' native land), where he meets Glenn Gould and is impressed by his piano playing. They travel to Brazil and collaborate with Celso on a baião, which is a popular rhythm and dance of northeastern Brazil.

"Pre-season concerts by the New World Symphony featuring the world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain's 'Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents'

7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday

Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach

All tickets for the free concerts are gone, but patrons can line up at the box office for seats in case of no-shows

Info: 305-673-333

BY GREG STEPANICH

Special to The Miami Herald

“The segment lasted only 21 seconds, but it gave Daniel Bernard Roumain a basis for 21 minutes of musical thought -- as well as the hope that years of barriers might finally be coming down. What inspired the Haitian-American composer and violinist was a bit of television from late October 2007, in which then-Sen. Barack Obama and comedian Ellen DeGeneres shared a brief dance on her talk show.”

“So when he got a commission from Detroit's Sphinx Organization to write an orchestral work, he turned to that dance. The result is a three-movement piece called Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents, which will get its world premiere Saturday at the Lincoln Theatre on Miami Beach, played by the New World Symphony under principal guest conductor Alasdair Neale. The concert will be repeated Sunday.”